Key Scottish Environment Statistics 2015

References

Background

1. European Environment Agency DPSIR framework

Population and Households

2. Population estimates are rebased with each census to ensure a consistent time series. Estimates for 2002 to 2010 were revised using information from the 2011 Census. The population estimates from 2011 onwards are all based on the 2011 Census.

3. National Records of Scotland (2015). Mid-2014 Population Estimates Scotland.

4. National Records of Scotland (2015). Estimates of Households and Dwellings in Scotland, 2014.

5. National Records of Scotland (2014). Population Projections of Scotland (2012-based).

6. National Records Scotland (2014). Household Projections for Scotland (2012 based).

7. National Records of Scotland (2014). Scotland's Population 2014 - The Registrar General's Annual Review of Demographic Trends

Gross Domestic Product

8. The estimates from the Scottish Government's Quarterly GDP Publication measure GDP at basic prices, also referred to as Gross Value Added (GVA), which does not account for taxes or subsidies on products. The GDP index is produced in constant (2012) prices, meaning that the effect of price changes is removed from the estimates, and is seasonally adjusted.

Motor Traffic on All Roads

9. Salisbury, E., Thistlethwaite, G., Pang, Y., & Misra, A. (2015). National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (2015). Air Quality Pollutant Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: 1990 - 2013.

10. More information is available in Transport and Travel in Scotland 2014 and Scottish Transport Statistics 2014.

11. Scottish Government. Scotland's People Annual Report: Results from 2014 Scottish Household Survey.

12. Department for Transport. Vehicle Licensing Statistics: 2014.

Electricity Generation by Source

13. Includes wind, wave, solar power, thermal renewables and hydroelectric (natural flow).

14. Pumped storage is not a renewable source of energy because it uses electricity produced by other means to create a store of hydrological power.

15. Scottish Government (2009). Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.

16. The Scottish Government has set a target for renewable sources to generate the equivalent of 100% of Scotland's gross annual electricity consumption by 2020, with a new interim target of 50% set for 2015.

17. The amount of electricity generated minus net exports (but including losses).

Public Attitudes

18. Scottish Government Social Research (2009). Scottish Environmental Attitudes and Behaviours Survey 2008 (SEABS '08)

19. Scotland Performs - National Indicator. Visits to the Outdoors.

Global Atmosphere

20. Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2014.

21. Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.

22. Climate Change (Annual Targets) (Scotland) Order 2010 (2010-2022)

23. Climate Change (Annual Targets) (Scotland) Order 2011 (2023-2027)

24. Scottish Government (2015). Sustainability Purpose Target

25. Scottish Government (2015). Scotland Performs National Indicator 47: Reduce Scotland's Carbon Footprint

Annual Mean Temperature

26. The 1961-1990 averages used in this publication are calculated from 5 km grid squares and differ from the averages published by the Met Office which are based upon 1 km grid squares. The average used is temperature = 7.03°C. Although 1971-2000 and 1981-2010 averages are available, 1961-1990 averages are used for comparability with UK Climate Projections 2009 (see next).

27. UK Climate Projections 2009. The projected changes, based on the 1961-1990 averages, use the medium emissions scenario climate model, and are for the 2080s, i.e. a 2071-2100 average. The Scottish regions are North, West and East Scotland, based on Met Office climate regions.

28. Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2014.

Annual Precipitation

29. The 1961-1990 averages used in this publication are calculated from 5 km grid squares and differ from the averages published by the Met Office which are based upon 1 km grid squares. The average used is precipitation = 1,390.57 mm. Although 1971-2000 and 1981-2010 averages are available, 1961-1990 averages are used for comparability with UK Climate Projections 2009 (see next).

30. UK Climate Projections 2009. The projected changes, based on the 1961-1990 averages, use the medium emissions scenario climate model, and are for the 2080s, i.e. a 2071-2100 average. The Scottish regions are North, West and East Scotland, based on Met Office climate regions. For each estimate, the smallest 10% probability level and the largest 90% probability level as well as the most likely estimate are given, to show the spread of possible outcomes.

31. For example, projected changes in the East of Scotland are reduced precipitation of 17% (-33% to 0%) in the summer months (June to August) and an increase of 12% (1% to 25%) precipitation in winter months (December to February).

32. Winter and summer precipitation figures are available on Scottish Environment Statistics Online.

33. Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2014.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Sources

34. Emissions of each GHG are weighted by the global warming potential (GWP) of the gas. GWP accounts for the potency of the gas as a contributor to atmospheric warming. Therefore, while sulphur hexafluoride is released in small quantities, those emissions are adjusted to better reflect the strong warming effect it has. GWPs of all gases are expressed as tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent to permit ready comparison.

35. For the purposes of reporting, greenhouse gas emissions are allocated into sectors. The Official Statistics release "Scottish Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2013" contains a categorisation of each sector.

36. Emissions from offshore oil and gas installations are not included in the Scottish inventory, and are reported as "unallocated" within the disaggregated UK inventory.

37. IPCC Fifth Assessment Report 2013.

Scotland's Carbon Footprint

38. Emissions of each GHG are weighted by the global warming potential (GWP) of the gas. GWP accounts for the potency of the gas as a contributor to atmospheric warming. Therefore, while sulphur hexafluoride is released in small quantities, those emissions are adjusted to better reflect the strong warming effect it has. GWPs of all gases are expressed as tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent to permit ready comparison.

39. The Carbon Footprint is part of a small set of low carbon attitude and behaviour-related indicators set out in 'Low Carbon Scotland: A Behaviours Framework' and is used to inform the Scottish Government National Indicator Reduce Scotland's carbon footprint.

Column Ozone Measurement

40. Stratospheric ozone is not the same as tropospheric (ground level) ozone, which is a damaging oxidant.

41. United Nations Environment Programme. Montreal Protocol.

Air Quality

42. Through analysis of modelled background PM_2.5 concentrations (particles less than 2.5 µm in diameter), it is estimated that the effects on annual mortality in 2010 in Scotland were over 2000 deaths and over 22,000 associated life-years lost. (Public Health England (2014). Estimating local mortality burdens associated with particulate air pollution.

43. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Scottish Executive, Welsh Assembly Government & DOE Northern Ireland (2007). The Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Volume 1.

44. Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown copyright and database right 2015. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100024655. Scottish Government GI Science & Analysis Team, August 2015, Job5706ab

Emissions of Air Pollutants

45. PM10 - particulate matter smaller than 10 microns.

46. NMVOCs - non-methane volatile organic compounds.

Emissions of Sulphur Dioxide and Nitrogen Oxides from Large Combustion Plants

47. Large combustion plants have a rated thermal output of over 50 megawatts. In 2014, there were 52 LCPs in Scotland, down from 54 in 2013.

48. Salisbury, E., Thistlethwaite, G., Pang, Y., & Bailey, R. (2014). National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (2014). Air Quality Pollutant Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: 1990 - 2012.

49. The Large Combustion Plants Directive (LCPD), which has now been incorporated into the Industrial Emissions Directive (2010/75/EC), called for a 60% reduction in LCP SO₂ emissions by 2003 and a 30% reduction in LCP NOx emissions by 1998, from a 1980 baseline. By 2012, total UK emissions of SO₂ were 91% below 1980 levels and total UK emissions of NOx were 60% below 1980 levels, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Environment Statistics website.

Particulate (PM₁₀) Concentrations

50. All values displayed in the chart are at or above the 50% data capture rate. If the data capture rate for any site is below 50% then the data will not be included in the chart. Where this occurs, information will be provided as appropriate in further footnotes. When assessing whether sites met the Air Quality Strategy objectives, only those sites with 75% data capture rate are included.

51. The data capture rate was low (under 50%) for Glasgow Centre in 2010 and so will not be included in any charts or tables. The 2010 figure for Glasgow Centre is: PM₁₀ = 23.

52. This chart contains an illustrative sample of automatic monitoring sites which have been selected based on their geographical location, how long they were in operation, site type (generally 'kerbside sites' are not included) and whether there were consistently high data capture rates. This is mainly to allow the data to be presented clearly, as there are too many monitoring sites to clearly present in one chart. The overall trends are discussed in the 'Trend' section.

53. Salisbury, E., Thistlethwaite, G., Pang, Y., & Misra, A. (2015). National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (2015). Air Quality Pollutant Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: 1990 - 2013.

54. In 2014, PM₁₀ concentration was measured at 77 automatic monitoring sites in Scotland, 58 of which had a data capture rate of at least 75%. Of these sites, none exceeded the 40 µg/m³ UK AQS - data for these sites are available on the Scottish Air Quality Database.

55. These sites were not included in the chart as they did not meet the criteria for inclusion. Both sites have only recorded values with a data capture rate over 50% for the last 5 years.

Nitrogen Dioxide Concentrations

56. All values displayed in the chart are at or above the 50% data capture rate. If the data capture rate for any site is below 50% then the data will not be included in the chart. Where this occurs, information will be provided as appropriate in further footnotes. When assessing whether sites met the Air Quality Strategy objectives, only those sites with 75% data capture rate are included.

57. The data capture rates were low (under 50%) for Glasgow City Chambers and Glasgow Byres Road in 2011 and for Aberdeen Errol Place in 2013; therefore, these figures will not be included in any charts or tables. The 2011 figures for Glasgow City Chambers and Glasgow Byres Road are NO₂ = 50 and NO₂ = 42 respectively; and the 2013 figure for Aberdeen Errol Place is NO₂ = 20.

58. This chart contains an illustrative sample of automatic monitoring sites which have been selected based on their geographical location, how long they were in operation, site type (generally 'kerbside sites' are not included) and whether there were consistently high data capture rates. This is mainly to allow the data to be presented clearly, as there are too many monitoring sites to clearly present in one chart. The overall trends are discussed in the 'Trend' section.

59. In 2014, concentrations of nitrogen oxides were measured at 81 automatic monitoring sites in Scotland. Of these sites, 68 had a capture rate of at least 75% - data for these sites can be found on the Scottish Air Quality Database.

60. These sites were not included in the chart as they are both 'Kerbside' sites.

61. Salisbury, E., Thistlethwaite, G., Pang, Y., & Misra, A. (2015). National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (2015). Air Quality Pollutant Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: 1990 - 2013.

Ground Level Ozone

62. All values displayed in the chart are at or above the 50% data capture rate. If the data capture rate for any site is below 50% then the data will not be included in the chart. Where this occurs, information will be provided as appropriate in further footnotes. When assessing whether sites met the Air Quality Strategy objectives, only those sites with 75% data capture rate are included.

63. This chart contains an illustrative sample of automatic monitoring sites which have been selected based on their geographical location, how long they were in operation, site type (generally 'kerbside sites' are not included) and whether there were consistently high data capture rates. This is mainly to allow the data to be presented clearly, as there are too many monitoring sites to clearly present in one chart. The overall trends are discussed in the 'Trend' section.

64. In 2014, ozone concentrations were measured at 10 sites, but 1 of these had a data capture rate of less than 75%. Data for these sites are available on the Scottish Air Quality Database.

Sensitive Habitats Exceeding Critical Loads for Acidification and Eutrophication

65. 3-year average deposition is used to reduce substantial year to year variability. Deposition data for 1995-97 to 1999-01 are based on the same methodology. Changes have subsequently been made to the methods for estimating deposition: (i) nitric acid deposition has been included in data from 2001-03 onwards; (ii) aerosol deposition of NH₄, NO₃, SO₄ has been included in data from 2002-04 onwards. Therefore deposition for earlier years may be underestimated and hence the actual reductions may be larger than shown here.

66. Deposition data sets for 2004 to 2013 have been updated following research by NERC, CEH and Defra (report under review), which assessed the current DELTA sampler configuration's specificity for HNO₃ measurement and showed additional sampling of other atmospheric oxidised nitrogen species. A correction factor has been obtained and applied to the HNO₃ concentrations used in the CBED mapping and the trends in critical loads exceedances for the period 2004-06 to 2011-2013 have been updated accordingly.

67. Hall, J. et al. (2008). Status of UK Critical Loads and Exceedances. UK National Focal Centre for Critical Loads Mapping & Modelling, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

68. All nutrient nitrogen critical load exceedance values were reviewed and updated in 2011. Hall, J. et al. (2011). UK Status Report July 2011: Update to Empirical Critical Loads of Nitrogen. UK National Focal Centre for Critical Loads Mapping & Modelling, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

Water

69. Eutrophication is the accelerated growth of plants in water bodies caused by excess nutrients. This accelerated growth and subsequent decay of plant organisms depletes oxygen levels, which can have harmful effects upon fish and other aquatic life which require oxygen to survive.

70. Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland (2001). The Water Supply (Water Quality) (Scotland) Regulations 2001.

Public Water Supplies

71. Figures for the raw water abstracted are collected over the calendar year, as it is part of the corporate data submitted to SEPA, whereas treated water produced data is collected over the business reporting year (April to March). Therefore, to present both sets of data on the same chart, the raw water abstracted figures shown reflect the first part of the business reporting year. For example, this means that the figure for 2014/15 reflects the raw water abstracted in 2014.

72. Since 2010, raw water abstracted has been based on metered data. Prior to 2010, it was estimated based on a calculated methodology. Slight corrections were made to the 2007 and 2008 figures in 2010.

73. Operational use includes standpipe volumes, fire service use, hydrant misuse, void property use, as well as use by Scottish Water in Offices, waste water treatment works, the distribution network and sewer jetting.

74. Total Top Down Leakage is the summation of Scottish Water distribution network losses and customer supply side leakage, as calculated using ISO9001 Water Balance methodologies. This method is different than the one used to calculate the leakage figure included in the annual Water Industry Output Monitoring Group report and as such, the figures differ slightly each year. This year, the leakage figure included in the Water Industry Output Monitoring Group report is 544 Ml/d.

75. The Economic Level of Leakage (ELL) (where the cost of repair is greater than the value of water leaking from the system) was attained in 2012/13, and leakage has continued to be managed at this level since.

Drinking Water Quality

76. Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland (2001). The Water Supply (Water Quality) (Scotland) Regulations 2001.

77. Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland. DWQR Annual Report 2014

River Water Quality

78. The indicator is based on a set of five water quality parameters which are sensitive to organic pollution, nutrients and toxic substances and provide a measure of species diversity. Each of the parameters is assessed over a rolling 3 year period and the results weighted by river length. The assessment is against the standards provided for each parameter in the Water Framework Directive classification. Two of the Water Framework Directive standards, invertebrates and phosphorus, used to calculate the indicator were changed in 2013; SEPA is looking into back calculating the indicator values potentially as far back as 2007 using the new standards to provide a consistent time series.

Nitrates

79. Data are expressed as mg N/l. To convert to mg NO₃/l (nitrate), multiply by 62/14.

80. This applies to most European rivers though for some rivers up to 1 mg N/l is reported. See European Environment Agency report 'Nutrients in Fresh Water'. for more information.

81. In Aberdeen, Moray, Banff and Buchan; Strathmore and Fife; Lothians and Borders; and Lower Nithsdale.

82. Under The Designation of Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (Scotland) Regulations 2002 and The Designation of Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (Scotland) (No. 2) Regulations 2002 and EC Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC) Annex 1A(3).

Orthophosphates

83. Soluble reactive phosphorus was measured as μg P/l. To convert to μg PO₄/l (orthophosphate), multiply by 95/31.

Compliance with the EC Bathing Water Directive

84. The number of bathing waters identified in Scotland has not remained constant in the period 1988 to 2014. There were 23 identified bathing waters in the period 1988-98, but this number has since increased to 84 in 2013. Three of the 84 designated bathing waters are inland waters, which have all complied with the bathing water standards since designation.

Radiation

85. Radon in Dwellings in Scotland: 2008 Review and Atlas

Sources of radioactivity

86. Radon and gamma values are specific to Scotland. Other values are assumed to be the same as the UK average as published in the Health Protection Agency - Radiation Protection Division's publication: HPA-RPD-001 - Ionising Radiation Exposure of the UK Population: 2005 Review.

87. Because of rounding, percentages do not add up to 100.

Radioactivity in milk

88. From 1996 onwards, the concentrations reported were lower than the limit for detection. Note that figures pre-1996 were produced by the HPA who took milk samples from a number of milk depots throughout the country, in proportion to the quantity of milk handled by each depot in order to generate the data. Post-1996 the figures were produced by SEPA who collected samples and analysed them for sites remote from nuclear sites. As a result, the 1996-2012 figures are not strictly comparable with previous years, although they still represent average concentrations in milk in Scotland.

89. Unlike ^[137] Cs, which was widely dispersed in the environment,^[90] Sr was mostly deposited near Chernobyl.

Waste and Recycling

90. European Waste hierarchy

91. Zero Waste Plan (2010).

Landfill

92. SEPA waste data technical report

Household Waste

93. Interactive household waste data

Waste Recycling Behaviour

94. SHS 2015 Environment Chapter

Land

95. Scotland's Environment Website - Land.

96. Scotland's Environment Website - Land - Woodlands and Forests.

97. © Crown copyright and database right 2014. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100021242.

98. Scotland Performs Greener Objective.

99. Scottish Government. Land Use Strategy.

100. Forestry Commission. Woodland Area, Planting and Restocking: 2015 edition.

101. Scotland Performs. National Indicator: Increase people's use of Scotland's outdoors.

102. Scotland Performs. National Indicator: Improve the condition of protected nature sites.

103. Scottish Government. Land Use Strategy indicators.

Derelict and Urban Vacant Land

104. During 2014, historical data for the years 2008 - 2013 was revised to remove sites that had been taken out of the survey for definitional reasons and to correct any other previous errors highlighted in the 2014 survey returns.

105. Vacant land must either have had prior development on it, or had preparatory work taken place on it in anticipation of future development to be classed as 'vacant land'. Derelict land must currently not be used for the purpose for which it is held or a use acceptable in the local plan to be classed as 'derelict land'. Land also qualifies as derelict if it has an un-remedied previous use which could constrain future development.

106. A small number of councils did not participate in every survey. In these cases, the most recent available data is used to provide an estimate for the appropriate year. In 2014, 32 out of 33 authorities submitted survey data. Sites must be at least 0.1 hectares in size to be included.

Agricultural Land Use

107. Changes in trend may reflect changes to the coverage of agricultural holdings included in the June Census register, as well as genuine changes in the area of total agricultural land.

108. Scotland's Environment Website - Land.

109. From 2009, data on land use was obtained from the Single Application Form (SAF). This data has been combined with the land use data from all other holdings, collected through the June Agricultural Census Forms, to generate overall June Agricultural Census results. This development has led to a substantial reduction in statistical data collection and an overall improvement in the quality of land use statistics. The use of SAF data has resulted in a step change in some of the land use results from 2009, especially for rough grazing and grass. This means that the trends across 2008 and 2009 for these land use categories represent differences in the way this data has been reported between the 2008 June Agricultural Census and 2009 SAF rather than genuine changes and so should be treated with caution.

110. Only includes woodland on agricultural holdings

Nutrients Applied to Crops and Grass

111. Total quantity of nutrient used (kg) divided by the total extent of crop area (ha) (including any areas without application of the nutrient). These overall application rates provide a means of estimating the tonnage of nutrients from manufactured fertiliser used during the year.

112. Manufactured fertilisers only - excludes organic fertilisers such as manure and slurry or sewage sludge.

113. Excludes Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles.

114. Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) are designated under The Designation of Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (Scotland) Regulations 2002 and The Designation of Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (Scotland) (No. 2) Regulations 2002 and EC Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC) Annex 1A(3).

Area of Woodland

115. Woodland is defined as land under stands of trees with a canopy cover of at least 20%, or having the potential to achieve this, including integral open space, wooded agricultural land, and felled areas that are awaiting restocking.

116. The provisional woodland areas included in 'Woodland Area, Planting and Restocking: 2015 Edition' are based on the National Forestry Inventory woodland area map, taking into account areas of new planting in 2014-15. These figures will be superseded by those included in Forestry Statistics 2015.

117. Restocking is the replanting of existing areas of woodland that have been felled. This includes felled areas that have been restocked by natural regeneration. During 2014-15, 8,500 hectares were restocked, which equates to 48% of the total restocking in the UK.

Conservation

Designated Areas

118. Figures as at 31st March each year.

119. Area figures are rounded to the nearest thousand hectares and percentages to the nearest whole number. Area figures exclude the area in England of cross-border sites. Figures for SACs and SPAs include both terrestrial and marine areas. Figures for SSSIs include intertidal habitats.

120. A site may be protected by more than one designation. For example, in 2015 around 65% of SACs, 52% of SPAs and 86% of Ramsar sites by area are also designated as SSSIs.

121. In Scotland, SSSIs are designated by Scottish Natural Heritage under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004. Some SSSIs overlap and where this occurs the area of overlapping land will be counted more than once. In 2015, this accounted for around 2,706 hectares (ha), so the net area of SSSI sites at 31 March 2015 was approximately 1,019,644 ha.

122. Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) are designated under the 1992 EU Habitats Directive to protect certain species and habitat types throughout the EU. Some SACs overlap, and where this occurs the area of overlapping land will be counted more than once. In 2015, this accounted for around 5,500 ha, so the net area of SAC sites at 31 March 2015 was approximately 981,200 ha. Figures include both designated SACs and candidate SACs submitted to the EC. Figures included in the Offshore Marine category include 2 candidate SACs that straddle the 12 nm inshore/offshore marine boundary.

123. Special Protection Areas (SPAs) are classified under the 1979 EU Wild Birds Directive (which was codified in 2009) to safeguard the habitat of certain wild bird species. Some SPAs overlap, and where this occurs the area of overlapping land will be counted more than once. In 2015 this accounted for around 58,500 ha, so the net area of SPA sites at 31 March 2015 is approximately 1,238,400 ha.

124. Ramsar sites are designated under the 1971 Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (commonly known as the Ramsar Convention).

Scheduled Monuments

125. Figures as at 31st March each year.

126. UK Parliament (1979). Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

127. The Scheduling, Marine and Battlefields Team within Historic Scotland compiles and maintains the 'Schedule' of monuments of national importance on behalf of Scottish Ministers. Work is currently focused on improving the quality of the Schedule across Scotland. This includes a rolling programme of area-based fieldwork reviewing the boundaries of scheduled areas. Where necessary, sites may be rescheduled to update the maps and documentation to provide clarity for owners, occupiers and the Local Authority; in a few cases, it can lead to a monument being de-scheduled.

128. Further information about SMs, including maps, is available on Historic Scotland's data website: http://data.historic-scotland.gov.uk.

Percentage of natural features on protected sites in favourable condition

129. Scottish Natural Heritage's Site Condition Monitoring (SCM) programme is a six-year rolling programme of monitoring which aims to assess the condition of, and management/wider environmental influences on, a sample of designated natural features each year. Sites classed as being in favourable condition include sites assessed as being in favourable condition through SCM, sites assessed as being in unfavourable condition but showing signs of recovery and sites assessed as being unfavourable but benefitting from a change in management measures which, given an appropriate time, will ensure the feature reaches favourable condition.

130. Scottish Natural Heritage. Site Condition Monitoring (SCM) programme.

131. Scotland Performs. National Indicator: Improve the condition of protected nature sites.

Biodiversity

132. The Scottish Biodiversity Strategy

133. See status of wild bird populations.

BAP Habitats

134. In 2007/08 an updated UK BAP priority list was published containing 1150 species and 65 habitats across the UK, of which 606 species and 60 habitats are in Scotland.

BAP Species

135. Department of the Environment (1994). Biodiversity: the UK Action Plan. HMSO

Status of wild bird populations

136. The population of wintering water birds is measured in the winter beginning in the year indicated, i.e. 2012 indicates populations measured from approximately November 2012 - March 2013. Data displayed for wintering water birds is smoothed.

137. BTO Breeding Bird Survey.

138. JNCC Seabird Monitoring Programme.

139. Wetland Birds Survey.

Status of selected fish stocks

140. The data for the fish stocks are the current best estimates of each stock and not the historic estimates. The full time series is revised for each stock every time an assessment is re-run and although values at the most recent end of the time series may change markedly in some cases, most other values remain stable.

141. Figures are for North Sea stocks, except for haddock (North Sea, Skagerrak and West of Scotland) and saithe (North Sea & Skagerrak, West Coast of Scotland and Rockall).

142. The spawning stock biomass (SSB) is the total weight of mature fish (capable of spawning) in a particular stock.

143. The precautionary biological limit (Bpa) indicates the SSB below which the stock is considered to be at risk of suffering reduced reproductive capacity, indicating that spawning levels may be insufficient to guarantee stock replenishment and that stock abundance will probably decrease. The Bpa for each stock is defined by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).

144. The Bpa for cod was revised upwards from 150 kt to 165 kt this year, and the Bpa for herring has been revised downwards from 1,300 kt to 1,000 kt due to a review of the long term management plan for herring in the North Sea.

Catches of Wild Salmon

145. Includes grilse (salmon which have matured, or are about to mature, after one winter at sea).

146. Fixed engine fisheries operate in coastal areas. Net & coble fisheries are generally restricted to estuaries and the lower reaches of rivers. Rod & line fisheries cover recreational angling within river systems.

147. Since 1994, numbers of fish reported as caught and released by anglers have been reported separately. Prior to this, only numbers caught and retained are available. No figures for fishing effort for rod & line catches are available.

148. Further information on Scottish salmon and sea trout stocks can be found in the Marine Scotland Science Report 01/15: Status of Scottish salmon and sea trout stocks 2014 report.